AUTHOR: TYLER DURDEN
On Sunday, the large peace conference in Ukraine in Switzerland, where about 100 countries were represented, rejected the conditions indicated by Russian president Vladimir Putin regarding the immediate end of the war.
A final paper drawn up by the summit signed by 78 countries stated that the basis for any future peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia to end the war must be the preservation of Ukraine's "territorial integrity".
Referring to the Charter of the United Nations, the paper states that "respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty (...) can and will service as a basis for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine".
"We believe that achieving peace requires commitment and dialog between all parties" - said the statement.
While the vast majority of countries agreed to the document, representatives India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand and the United arabian Emirates did not sign itaccording to Associated Press.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, referred to the peace conditions Putin set out at the end of last week, Saying:
"These were not peace negotiations due to the fact that Putin did not seriously think about ending the war. He insists on surrender. He insists on giving up Ukrainian territory – not even the territory that he does not occupy today," she said.
"It insists on disarming Ukraine, exposing it to future aggression. No country would always accept these scandalous conditions".
She thus referred to his Friday tv speech in which the Russian leader He said"Voice Ukrainians must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk People's Republic, Lugansk People's Republic, the Kherson and Zaporosian districts". Putin besides placed the second main condition for ending the war: Ukraine must reject the ambition to join NATO.
"As shortly as Kiev says he's ready to do this, he'll truly start withdrawing troops and We will officially renounce our plans to join NATO, immediately – virtually in the same minute – suspend our weapons and start talks" – Putin said in a speech given at a gathering of his MFA officials. However, leaders gathered in Switzerland on the weekend, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, rejected Putin's overture as "propaganda".
Both Russia and China have suggested that the two-day peace conference held in Burgenstock is futile without Russia's presence and participation, and yet is just a PR catch.
Meanwhile, an interesting and awkward minute last week at the G7 summit in Italy...
An ominous minute at the G7 summit. Zelenski claims to have had a individual telephone conversation with president Xi, and Xi assured him that China would not give Russia weapons to usage against Ukraine. Biden interferes with partially correct Zelenski, claiming that China "in fact helps Russia" .twitter.com/Qil8XgM9GI
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) 13 June 2024.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenski praised the consequence of the summit on Sunday. He said, "Let's prove to everyone in the planet that the United Nations Charter can be restored to full effectiveness." He added that countries that have not yet signed the final paper can do so due to the fact that it is "open"... "Even the countries that are now reasoning about joining it are consulting in their countries," said Zelenski.
Given that the leaders of the G7 besides agreed this weekend for a larger long-term backing for Ukraine of $50 billion and utilizing around $280 billion in frozen Russian assets for that purpose, the possible of legal peace negotiations now seems as distant as ever.
